Gate-latch.



M. B. MOYER.

GATE LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.19,1914.

Patented Nov. 1'7, 1914.

earns PATENT FFICEQ MALCOLM B. MOYER, OF MONTEVIDEO, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNORTO MOYER MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF MONTEVIIDEO, MINNESOTA.

GATE-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application filed March 19, 1914. Serial No. 825,845.

To all whom 2'25 may concern Be it known that I, MALCOLM B. MoYnR, acitizen of the United States, residing at Montevideo, in the county ofChippewa and State of h linnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gate- Latches; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in gate latches and the primaryobject of the same is to provide a simply constructed latch which willbe automatically closed and locked by the closing of a gate inconnection with which it is employed. In carrying out this object, Iprovide a pair of L-shaped gate stops having portions to be struck bythe gate, portions to contact with said gate and retain it in closedposition and latch bolts for locking said gate in closed position.

A secondary object of the invention lies in providing said gate stopswith portions which are adapted to underlie said latch bolts and thushold them in inoperative position when said stops are swung outwardly,said portions being adapted to release and abut said latch bolts whensaid stops are closed.

Still another object is to provide means for assisting the closing ofthe gate stops, said means also assisting in opening the same when thelatch bolts are retracted.

With the above objects in view, the invention resides in certain novelfeatures of construction and combination herein described and claimedand shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the application of my invention;Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with the gateswung partially open; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the gate closed;Fig. 4L is a bottom plan view with one of the gate stops swung open; andFig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing moreclearly the construction of the gate stops, the gate being omitted.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention as comprising ingeneral an attaching bracket 1, a pair of gate stops 2, a pair of latchbolts 3 for retaining said stops in closed position, and springs 4 forassisting in closing or opening said gate stops when the latch bolts areretracted.

The bracket 1 is here shown in the form of a rather short strip of angleironhaving its upright flange 5 provided with a pair of openings throughwhich fastening bolts or screws 6 pass to secure the same to the gatepost P. The horizontal flange 7 of the bracket 1 is provided near itsopposite ends and at its juncture with the upright flange 5 with slots 8through which the bolts ,3 pass, said bolts being preferably in the formof metal plates passing loosely through the slots 8 and depending asuitable distance beneath the horizontal flange 7 while their uprightportions are slotted as at 9 for the reception of headed studs 10 whichproject from the upright flange 5 of the base 1. By this mounting of thebolts 3 it will be seen that they are allowed a limited amount ofvertical movement and that they are guided in said movement andprevented from disengaging the slots 8. The plates forming the bolts 3preferably have their upper ends bent laterally as at 11 to providemeans for retracting said bolts.

The stops 2 are of substantially L-shaped formation and comprise arms 12which are pivoted to and project laterally from the horizontal flange 7when the gate G is in closed position and contact with the oppositesides of its forward bar B as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Each arm 12 isprovided with an integral flange 13 which is preferably struck up fromits inner edge, the in nor end 14: of said flange contacting with theouter edge of said horizontal flange when the parts stand in theposition shown in said figure. Each arm 12 is provided with a tripfinger 15 which projects inwardlv therefrom when the gate is in closedposition, one of said fingers being offset as at 15' so that saidfingers lie in overlapping engagement beneath the horizontal flange 7.When in this position the depending ends of the bolts 3 are adapted tolie in the paths of laterally extending noses 16 which now extendoutwardly from the pivots 12 and are here shown as formed integrallvwith the outer edges of the arms 12. By this arrangement of parts, itwill be seen that the arms 12 are prevented from swinging outwardly andthat the gate is therefore locked in closed position.

When it is desired to open the gate, one

of the bolts 3 is raised and the gate swung upon its hinges whichmovement will cause the arm 12 which has been released to swingoutwardly around its pivot 12 thereby releasing the gate and positioningits finger 15 in substantially right angular relation to the bracket 1and in position to be struck by the gate when the same is closed. 'Wheneither of the arms 12 is swung outwardly for the purpose of releasingthe gate, one of the noses 16 will underlie thelower end of one of thebolts 3 and will thereby support said bolt as long as the arm is swungoutwardly. l/Vhen however, the gate is I closed, its forward bar'B willcontact with the projected finger 15 and will move the same inwardlythusbringing the open arm 12 into contact "with'one of the sides of saidbar and also releasing the bolt 3 and al lowing itto drop and again abutthe nose 16 whereby the gate is again locked in closed position.

For the purpose of assisting in moving the arms 12 outwardly orinwardly, 1 provide the springs 4 which are here shown in the form of.resilient coils having their opposite ends connected respectively tostuds 17, depending from the rear edge of the horizontal flange 7 and tolugs 18 which are struck downwardly from the arms 12. lVhen said arms 12are in closed position (see Fig. 4) the springs 4: will extend acrossthe angles of said arms inside their pivots 12.. lhus it will be seenthat when said arms are swung outwardly the tension of said springsvwill resist until the piv0ts12, the studs 17 and the lugs 18 stand inalinement whereupon a slight movement, in either direction, of the arms12 will allow the tension of said springs to pull upon the lugs 18 andtherefore continue the movement of the arms 12 in the direction in whichthey, have been started. When the gate is swung open, and one of thearms 12 consequently stands in alinement with the bracket 1, the tensionof said spring 4L will retain the inner side of its flange 13 in contactwith the outer edge of the horizontal flange .7 of said bracket. Thus itwill be seen that, the flanges 13 prevent movement of the arms. 12 ineither direction. This is a very important feature of the inventionsince the arms 12 and their trip fingers 15 are always held in correctposition whether swung inwardly or outwardly. .It is not necessaryhowever, that the flanges 13 be employed for limiting the outwardmovement of, the arms 12, since independent stops might well be employedto equal advantage.

From the foregoing description taken in connection .with theaccompanying drawings, the constructionand operation of the inventionwill be readilyunderstood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in form, proportion and minor details may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure byLetters-Patent is I l 1. A gate latch comprising a bracket forattachment to a gate post and having a slot, a gravity latch slidabletherethrough and a gate stop in the form of a bell crank lever pivotedbeneath said bracket and having one of its arms adapted to .be struck bya closing gate, said gate stop having a portion adapted to underlie andsupport said latch bolt when the gate is open and to release and.

abut said latch boltwhen thegate is closed and thereby lock the otherarm of said bell crank in contact with said gate.

2. A gate latch comprising a bracket for attachment to a gate post, agate stop in the form of a horizontal arm pivoted to said bracket toswing in a horizontal'plane, a stop flange rising from one edge of saidarm, a trip finger projecting laterally from said arm and adapted to bestruck by a closing gate, .a gravity latch bolt carried by said bracket,a lateral projection on said arm adapted to underlie and support saidlatch bolt when said arm is swung .to longi tudinal alinementwith saidbracket and to release and abut said bolt when said arm is swung toright angular relation thereto and a spring for causing said stop flangeto contact with said bracket when said arm is swung in either direction.

3. A gate latch comprising an angle iron bracket for attachment to agatepost and having slots through its horizontal flange, a pair of gatestops in the form .of'horizontally swinging arms pivoted beneath saidflange, trip fingers projecting inwardly from said arms and lying inoverlapping engagement beneath said flange when said arms are disposedat'right angles thereto, gravity latch bolts slidab'le through the slotsin said flange, lateral projections on said arms and adapted to underlieand support said latch bolts when said arms stand inalinement with saidflange and to'release and abut said bolts when said arms stand at rightangles'thereto, upright stop flanges rising from the facing edges ofsaid arms and springs for causing said stop flanges to contact with saidhorizontal flange when said arms are swung in either direction.

a. A gate latch comprising an attaching member, a gravity latch mountedthereon, a bell crank gate stop fulcrumed to move in the path of saidlatch, and means on one arm of said stop for engaging said. attachingmember for limiting the movement of said stop in either direction.

5. A gate latch comprising an attaching member, a gravity latch'mountedthereon,

a bell crank gate stop fulcrumed to move in the path of said latch, aflange on one arm of said stop positioned for longitudinal engagementwith said attaching member for limiting the movement of the stop in onedirection and for transverse engagement with said attaching member forlimiting the movement of the stop in the other direction.

6. A gate latch comprising an attaching member, a gravity latch mountedthereon, a gate engaging member pivoted to swing in a horizontal planein the path of said latch, and a stop positioned on said gate engagingmember to contact with said attaching member when said gate engagingmember is swung into open or closed posi tion.

7. A gate latch comprising an attaching member, a gravity latch mountedthereon, a gate engaging member pivoted to swing in a horizontal planein the path of said latch, and a stop positioned on said gate engagingmember to contact with said attaching member when said gate engagingmember is swung into open or closed position, and means for yieldablyholding said gate engaging member in either open or closed position.

8. A gate latch comprising an attaching member, a gravity latch mountedthereon, a bell crank gate engaging member pivoted on said attachingmember to swing in a horizontal plane, a stop flange rising from oneedge of one arm of said bell crank, a lateral projection on said bellcrank adapted to underlie and support said latch when the arm of saidbell crank carrying said stop flange is swung to longitudinal alinementwith said attaching member, said projection moving out of the path ofsaid latch when said arm is swung to right angular relation to saidattaching member, and resilient means for holding said stop flange incontact with said attaching member when said bell crank is swung ineither direction.

9. A gate latch comprising an attaching member, gravity latches mountedthereon, bell crank gate engaging members ful crumed on said attachingmember in spaced relation to swing in a horizontal plane and havingmeans supporting said latches when swung into open position, means forlimiting the swinging movement of said bell cranks in oppositedirections, one arm of one bell crank being offset and adapted tooverlap an arm on the other bell crank when said bell cranks are swunginto closed position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

MALCOLM B. MOYER.

WVitnesses:

OLGA E. J oHNsoN, OPHY Lovn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

